I Must Be Dreaming
by SoPhIeBuFfY4EvEr
Summary: Ariadne's feelings for Arthur finally come out – but does he feel the same way about her? R/R, please :


**Pairing ; **Arthur/Ariadne (Inception)

**Rating ; **M (:D)

**Disclaimer ; **I own absolutely _nothing_. Christopher Nolan owns the characters, the movie – everything.

**Summary ; **Ariadne's feelings for Arthur finally come out – but does he feel the same way about her? R/R, please :)

"Tell me that you love me, and it'll be alright.

Are you thinking of me?

Just come with me tonight.

You know I need you –

Just like you need me.

Can't stop, won't stop –

I must be dreaming."

- "I Must Be Dreaming" – The Maine

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Ariadne knew she was dreaming – somehow. She hadn't gone under, but had simply fallen asleep in the workshop. Even though she blatantly knew that she was in the middle of a dream, she didn't care. Not in the slightest. Quite the contrary, she was glad to be dreaming. Lately – ever since the Fischer case, to be exact – her dreams had been assaulted with thoughts of him.

Thoughts of Arthur.

And, naturally, she didn't have any objections to this occurrence. She welcomed sleep, if it meant she'd be able to dream of him – which she did, every single time. He filled her head like a virus. A _beautiful _virus that she never wanted to be cured of. She smiled in her sleep, delving deep into her dream once more.

She could picture him perfectly – every inch of him. His carefully coiffed hair… His eyes… His smile. Every aspect of Arthur was totally clear to her now. It was clearest, she believed, in her slumbers. The fact that she usually only communicated with him about work-related issues meant that they didn't get much time for anything else. Ariadne hadn't minded very much at the beginning, but as time passed, she felt her feelings towards him growing stronger and stronger. She couldn't figure out whether he noticed, or if he felt the same way, but was patient. She wasn't the type to go nuts over a guy she liked. She also wasn't the type to dream about the same guy every night for weeks – and yet, here she was, doing _exactly _that. She had never gotten this way over another person before and she'd certainly never had someone playing on a loop in her mind like Arthur was…

All of a sudden, she felt her dream being disturbed. She could hear his voice calling to her, quietly, from far away, "Ari? Ariadne, wake up… Ari?" And she could feel herself being shaken awake. She fought against it, knowing that reality-Arthur didn't care about her like her dream-Arthur did… Desperately, she clung to sleep, even as she felt it slipping out of her hands… Her eyes sprang open to see him hovering over her. His hand rested on her shoulder from rousing her, and he grinned when he saw she was awake.

"Welcome back." He murmured, his smile sending shivers down her body.

"Falling asleep on the job _again_," She heard Eames' voice say from somewhere near them, "Not very _professional _of you, darling. Keep this up, we may be in need of a new architect."

Arthur glanced over to where he stood and said, "Eames, shut up. She's a little out of it – we all are."

Eames chuckled, "Very mature response, Arthur – 'shut up'. The last time I heard that one was from my nine year-old niece."

Arthur mock-smiled at him, and he finally left their presence.

Ariadne sat up straight, "Thanks… for waking me, and -," She broke off and started over, "I'm sorry for falling asleep. I didn't mean to."

He shook his head, "I didn't wake you because you weren't supposed to be sleeping, Ariadne."

Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "Then why did you-?"

He took a moment, then replied, "You, uh… You were talking – in your sleep… You kept saying my name, over and over. Whispering it to yourself."

She felt the hot sensation in her cheeks that meant she was blushing red, and squeaked, "_Oh._ I'm… That's embarrassing." She didn't know what to say. She was absolutely mortified, "I'm sorry, Arthur."

He shrugged, "Sorry for what? It's no big deal, really – don't worry about it." He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, "And stop blushing. It's cute, but un-necessary."

She couldn't seem to find words, and merely gaped at him, not knowing what to say in reply. He must have noticed that she was un-easy, because he spoke again, "Hey – you okay, Ari?"

She struggled to make a sound – any sound – escape her lips, but couldn't. So, she nodded, slowly, and tried to hide the fact that he heart felt ready to burst.

Arthur smiled and knelt down beside her chair, so they were level, "What's going on? Am I making you nervous?"

This time, she managed to speak, "No! No – uh… W-why would you think that?"

"Because you're jumpy as hell right now, and you've been acting strange for a while." He replied.

_Dammit, _she cursed herself silently. She'd been doing her best to act normal – and had obviously failed. "I'm sorry… I guess I'm still a little nervous from the Fischer case."

He raised an eyebrow, "Ariadne, that was week ago."

She nodded, "Yeah, I… I know, but it was just… It was my first job, and it was really… draining. That's all."

He stared at her for a moment, before standing up. "Okay. If you say nothing's wrong, I believe you. But, you know that you can talk to me, right? If something's up –,"

"I know, Arthur." She interrupted him, quietly, "Thanks."

He gave her a small nod, before walking off to his desk across the room.

The minute he was gone, she turned back to her work. She tried in vain to remember what she'd been doing before her nap, and closed her eyes in frustration. _Why hadn't she simply told him the truth? _Why was she so scared of letting him know how she felt? She wanted him – God, she wanted him so much – but she wasn't sure if he felt the same away. She didn't think she could handle the way she'd feel if he didn't want her back…

_He did._

Arthur didn't think he could find words to express the way he'd felt when she had murmured his name in her sleep. It was like… electricity. Like a bolt of lightning had shot through his body – setting his nerves on fire.

He couldn't precisely trace the origin of his feelings towards Ariadne, but was pretty sure he'd wanted her from the moment he first saw her. She had always been so… enthusiastic about the jobs they performed. She put everything she had into building the mazes and labyrinths that she'd been hired to construct. That was one of the things he liked most about her; She was so focused on her work. And she was extraordinary at what she did.

'Extraordinary' was a good word to describe her, he thought. She was everything that he loved a girl to be; Beautiful, intelligent, talented, unique… He chanced a look over to where she sat at her desk, her head down, and smiled. He knew – it was somewhat obvious now – that her feelings for him were the same as his for her.

"I'm surprised she hasn't noticed yet." A familiar, British-accented voice said.

Arthur looked up to see – who else? – Eames standing beside his desk, a smug grin on his face. "What are you on about now?"

"No need to get snappy, darling," Eames reprimanded him, "I was merely stating a fact."

"And what fact would that be?"

Eames smirked, "The fact that it's odd Ariadne hasn't noticed the way you look at her yet."

Arthur closed his eyes in embarrassment, "It's that obvious?"

He laughed this time, "Bloody right it is. I don't understand how she can't see it."

"She's not stupid, Eames – if that's what you're-,"

"I never said she was." He defended himself, "But, if I were her, I would have realized your feelings instantly."

Arthur took a moment – not believing what he was about to do – and spoke once more, "What should I do?"

Eames seemed equally surprised that he was asking him for advice, but responded quickly, "Just… Just give her a little time, mate." He leaned in to whisper, "She might surprise you."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Hours after her conversation with Arthur, Ariadne was still at the workshop, attempting to finish her plans for the newest maze. Eames had left early, as he typically did, and she was determined to get this finished. She was so close to completing it, but she couldn't concentrate fully. Her thoughts kept wandering back to him. She tried as hard as she could to clear her mind of him – without success, of course. He was starting to consume her, she realized, and he didn't even know it. But, God – she wished he knew.

She _wanted _him to know…

At this, she was jolted out of her thoughts by a sound from behind her. Turning, she was only mildly surprised to see Arthur standing a few feet away.

"Sorry – I didn't mean to startle you." He apologized, his hands in his pockets.

He looked so… perfect, she thought to herself. "No, it's okay. Did you – uh – want something?"

"What? Oh-," He was staring at her, and seemed to have lost his train of thought, "Yes. I wanted to know if we could… talk? If you have time, of course. I don't want to keep you from your work."

Ariadne's heart sped up a beat. He wanted to talk with her… She prayed that he didn't want to talk about work, "Sure. I've got time."

He nodded and pulled up a chair beside her, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head, as though he had all the time in the world.

If only she could see how nervous he was _inside._

"So…" She piped up after a moment of silence, "What do you want to talk about? Work?" _Please don't say 'yes'; please don't say 'yes', _she thought.

"No." He said, making her relax a little, "It's, uh… It's about you, actually."

Ariadne raised her eyebrows; "You want to talk to me about… myself?"

He chuckled shortly, "Yeah, I guess you could put it like that."

Another silent moment passed, before she continued, "Okay, then. Go on."

He nodded again, trying to think of what to say next. "Earlier… when you said – erm – my name in your sleep," _God, I must sound like an idiot right now, _he worried. "Why, uh… Why do you think you were doing that?"

She was slightly taken aback by this question. Why did he want to know? More importantly: Why did he _care_? "I… I don't know. Maybe because… you were _in _my dream." She saw his expression change at her words.

"You dream about _me_?" Arthur asked, trying to act surprised when, inside, he was dancing a jig. "Does that happen a lot?"

Ariadne was so embarrassed at this point; she hardly even cared what words came out of her mouth. "Well…" She might as well tell him – what did she have to lose? "… yes. It does." She studied his face closely as her words sunk in. His expression didn't change, but his eyes lit up. "I… Uh… I've been dreaming about you every night for weeks now."

He took a second to let her words settle in his mind. _Weeks_, she said. So this wasn't just some passing thought – she really cared for him…

And he needed her to know he felt the same way.

"Arthur?" Her voice pulled him out of his head again, "I'm sorry if I-,"

"You didn't." He stopped her, "Don't be sorry. I'm…"

He couldn't think of anything else to say – couldn't think at all, to be honest – and forgot all of his sense as he leaned forward to kiss her.

She didn't push him away – he had known she wouldn't – but pulled him to her, her hands holding on to the material of his shirt to bring him closer. She couldn't believe this was happening. The exact thing she'd been dreaming about was becoming a reality; Arthur wanted her back. She felt like singing. His lips fit against hers perfectly – like two puzzle pieces coming together… He wrapped his arms around her fully, pulling her from her chair into his lap. She drew in a breath at this sudden movement, but adjusted quickly – twining her arms around his neck and melting into him. He smiled against her lips, his fingers twisting in her soft, brown hair.

Kissing him was unlike anything she had ever experienced. And better than she had dreamed it would be. They were pressed together – body against body – yet, this wasn't enough for her. She wanted him as close as he could possibly be. She wanted all of him, and he wanted all of her. His lips were travelling down her jaw to her neck now and she gasped at how good it all felt. She could hardly stand how crazy he was making her. She was… intoxicated. He bit and sucked on the base of her throat, swirling his tongue around her pulse point.

"Arthur…" She breathed, closing her eyes. His name fell from her lips almost exactly as it had when she'd said it in her sleep, and, just like that time, it sent him into a frenzy of emotion. She was giving herself up to him, and he wanted her all to himself. He was going to make her _his._

Ariadne was losing all sense of reality in the things Arthur was doing to her. She put a hand on the back of his neck and brought his lips to hers again. Deep inside, she was eager for _so _much more than just their lips mashing against each other's. She wanted him out of his tidy, ironed clothes. She wanted to mess up his perfectly groomed, dark hair. She wanted to hear him curse – to make him lose all control. She wanted him in his raw form, and _deep _within her walls.

Throwing both legs to either side of him, she straddled his waist while his hands rested on her hips. Ariadne was small in comparison to him, but it didn't matter because their bodies fit together nicely – complimenting each other and making their situation all the more interesting. At some point, she managed to tear her lips from his and make her way down to his neck. Un-doing his tie, she let it fall to the floor as she sought his flesh, feeding off him like a hungry parasite. She was desperate for him and, somehow, he needed her in the same way. She got the first few buttons of his shirt un-done, exposing some of his chest. Wasting no time, she leaned close to kiss his skin and felt him shiver.

"Ariadne." She smiled at the sound of her name on his lips. His voice was husky and deep, sending yet more shivers down her spine, as his hands slid up under her shirt and grasped her hips again. She didn't care what was wrong or right anymore – her mind was clouded with the vast obsession that was Arthur. Un-able to keep her hands still, she un-buttoned the rest of his shirt and got it off of him quickly, smiling when she saw the grin on his face. Their lips met once more – their kisses growing more passionate now.

His hands, much like hers, refused to stay put. Sliding upwards beneath her shirt, he caressed her skin lightly, making her sigh. She raised her arms and he pulled the shirt up over her head and tossed it aside. She looked at him, her eyes burning into his, as his long fingers teased her bra hook, almost begging for her permission to un-clasp it. She nearly stopped breathing, and just barely managed to nod her reply. He un-hooked the sides and slid it off her. From there, he moved his attention back up to her throat, where he began to press wet, open-mouth kisses to her skin. She didn't think she could hold herself together for much longer, and – judging from the fact that his erection was pressing into her thigh – neither could he.

Arthur did not think he had ever laid eyes on a more perfect woman in his life. She was exquisite in every way possible – and he could not wait to take her. A soft moan escaped her lips as he ran his tongue along her collarbone. The sound caused his pants to tighten and he didn't think a more erotic sound existed. The things this woman was able to do to him… He knew a change of scenery was necessary to continue the act they were leading up to, and she did, too. Standing up with her, he took her hand and led her over to the desk nearest them.

While he cleared off the surface, Ariadne spoke up, "But – isn't this Eames' desk?"

Arthur reached out to pull her to him and grinned, "He won't mind."

She laughed, and gestured to the desk top, "Help me up, will you?"

He nodded and grasped her hips to lift her up so she could sit on the desk. She lay back and waited for him to make a move. Which he did. Reaching forward, he un-zipped her jeans, pulling them down her legs quickly. He did the same for himself, and climbed on top of her, nearly ripping her panties off in his haste to be inside her. He needed her. She needed him. What more was there to be said?

His hands ran up and down her – now fully nude – body, and he decided to keep the build-up going for a while longer, thrilling in the noises she was making. Kissing her once again, he started to move downwards. His tongue darted over her nipples, causing her to arch into him while he sucked on the skin there. Continuing on his way, Ariadne watched as his mouth danced across her stomach and hips, before he peered up at her from between her thighs. Breathing was becoming a difficult task for her – all oxygen seemed to have left the room. If there was _any _way for her to become anymore wet, the sight of his head between her legs was the way to do it.

One moment, he was staring at her from his place and the next… he was tasting her. Her back arched up off the desk as she moaned in pleasure. None of her dreams – even the wildest ones – could ever live up to this. She had no control over any of the words that passed her lips at that point. Words like "fuck" and "don't stop" escaped her mouth with every move Arthur made. She learned quickly that even the simplest touch from him reduced her to jelly. So his mouth on her most sensitive area sent her over the edge – quickly.

Crying out his name, her mind shattered into a million pieces as her orgasm rocked her small body. Her chest heaving, she opened her eyes to see him smiling down at her – an adoring look on his face. He was… beautiful. Utterly beautiful. And he was all _hers. _

"Arthur?" She whispered, as he stroked her hair, gently.

"Yes?"

"Take me." She pleaded, "Please… I-,"

He nodded, and leaned down to lay a kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes and suddenly he was inside of her – _deep _inside her. Ariadne felt her body stretch to accommodate him, and gasped at the feeling. She gripped his shoulders tightly, holding on to him like he was all she had. Starting with slow strokes, he hit spots within her that she wasn't aware existed. Before long, though, she sensed him becoming restless and found herself gripping his arms tighter as he slammed into her, roughly. Words that couldn't even be classified as words came spilling out of her. Moans and screams that filled Arthur's head and drove him even madder with desire.

She could see sweat glistening on his chest from the effort he was exerting as he pounded into her tight frame. His once tamed hair swung free as she moved a hand through it and brought his head down to meet his eyes. Staring into them, she whispered how she felt. She told him how amazing it felt to finally have him inside her, how she couldn't get enough of him, and how he was driving her insane with pleasure. With every sentence, she could see him losing a little more control. His groans grew louder and the desk practically shook under them. His mouth found her neck, dragging his teeth across her flesh as she whimpered and trailed her hands up and down his back.

"Ari…" He whispered in her ear, his voice heavy with pleasure.

"Arthur… I'm so _close_…" She breathed, "I need… Please…"

His hand slid in-between their bodies to flick his fingers against her clit – adding to the pleasure that she was already unable to handle. She let go. Like earlier, her release was mind shattering, causing her to cry out and fist her fingers in his hair. She buried her face in his neck as he gave one more hard thrust and spilled his seed deep inside her.

Breathless, the two lay motionless, holding one another as they came down off their highs.

He was the first to speak, after a minute of two of silence, "You're… incredible, Ari."

She beamed up at him, her hands rubbing his back softly, "You're pretty incredible yourself."

He rested his head in the crook of her neck and smiled against her skin. "Not like you."

Ariadne ran her fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head gently. They remained like that for about five more minutes, at which point Arthur sat up. "We should probably get Eames' desk – erm – cleaned up, then head out."

"We _should _do that, you're right."

He looked at her again, and saw from her expression that she didn't intend on going anywhere. "But, you know, I doubt a few more minutes could hurt anyone."

At these words, she giggled and pulled him back down with her, kissing and touching every part of him she could reach.


End file.
